Plot
After super-villain Megamind kills his good-guy nemesis, Metro Man, he becomes bored since there is no one left to fight. He creates a new foe, Titan, who, instead of using his powers for good, sets out to destroy the world, positioning Megamind to become the good guy and save the day for the first time in his life.
Megamind is easily related to the Shrek movies. The hero in both movies is a character who doesn't seem to be the hero type but more of the opposite. Megamind was first seen as the super-villain in the city and Shrek was the ogre who was hated and feared, both were detested by the city/ village people but became the hero who saved the people for good. Both seen as the anti-hero character. A big part of the hero is his sidekick, Minion is Megamind's sidekick and Donkey is Shrek's sidekick. In both movies the sidekick doesn't get as much credit as the main character and there is eventually a fight between the two resulting in the sidekick to leave but eventually come back and help save the day. They are the loyal retainers who are there through thick and thin. Another important part of these archetypes is the damsel in distress. Roxanne Ritchie is the tv reporter who is always kidnapped by Megamind however she doesn't seemed to be phased or completely helpless just like Fiona in Shrek. They both are damsels in distress who are able to hold their own and help themselves, they aren't the typical helpless female. Without the hero there woudn't be an evil figure in a story. In Megamind, Titan, is seen as the evil figure who at first was good hearted but became evil becaue of jealousy and pride. This is very similar to the Fairy Godmother in Shrek 2 whose intentions were good at first (she wanted to help Fiona) but soon turned against Fiona and Shrek because of jealousy.Many movies today use mythological archetypes but with a twist like Megamind and Shrek.
What other movies or stories have a twist in archetypes and what effect does this have on the plot line?
I think that the movie New moon has a twist in the heroic archetype like the movies Shrek and Mega Mind. In the movie, it seems as if the character Edward Cullen who leaves Bella for noble reasons is the hero. He is putting himself in a situation of immense sadness and despair for the well being of his lover. However later on in the film, after a misunderstanding, Edward believes Bella is dead and goes to a clan of prestigious vampires and tells them to kill him. Bella then has to rush to the rescue of our "hero" and save him from being killed. This shows that there was a twist in the typical heroic archetype because this story contained two hero's who "save” each other in different ways rather than one typical hero. As for why this twist in the ordinary archetype is used, I think it’s to enhance the movie and keep it more suspenseful for the audience. The usual heroic archetype is overused and very predictable in regards to the story line. Changing up the archetype functions to keep the audience's interest and have them on the edge of their seats wanting to know what happens next. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat paralles drawn between test, now what are the specific archetypes?
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